Architects are notorious for procrastination. So, if you are an architect and you are tired of procrastinating your work, here are a few tips that may come in handy.
Abraham Lincoln once said, “ You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”
First of all, you have to ask yourself the” WHY?” question. Why am I procrastinating this project? What am I scared of? Am I scared of failing? Losing this client? This contract?
You have to answer that question and face your fears. Once you have done that you will be ready for our tips:
- Don’t focus on your mood or emotions. Go ahead with the plan and set your emotions aside. Easier said than done, eh? Well, just give it a try.
- The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Motivate yourself by breaking down big architectural projects to subprojects. You will be surprised at how much you have gone through with it.
- Know your deadline. Not having a deadline for the task at hand may be one reason you have been procrastinating.
- Stop social media on your laptop at once. Turn off Wi-Fi altogether from your phone. Facebook, WhatsApp, twitter…. etc., can be really distracting, and suddenly you will realize that the day is over and that you didn’t move ahead at all with your task.
- Do what you have to do to concentrate. You can play your favorite piece by Beethoven or the latest track by Kanye West, whatever works for you.
- Prioritize your to-do list. Urgent important tasks have to be done immediately. Then, you can decide when to do the important but not urgent stuff. The neither urgent nor important stuff can either be delegated away or just totally skipped.
- Get a good night sleep and wake up early. You are more likely to finish your work early in the morning when you are most energized, and at the beginning of the week rather than later. Try to work on projects that require much effort at those times.
- Reward yourself when you achieve your goal, for further self-motivation. Buy yourself a present, go to your favorite restaurant, or buy that dress you were eagerly checking at the shop window…. naturally, who wouldn’t love that!!
- Another trick of the game is to post about your task – especially if unenjoyable or difficult – on social media. One would not want others to witness their failures.
- Cut yourself some slack sometimes. You don’t have to be perfect at all times. If you don’t get it right this time, know the reasons behind this setback, determine your future goals, and act on them.
